From the Timeline of Dark Crystal Tokyo
by Earthangel-Noelle
Summary: In a timeline different from our own, Demando wins the battle for 20th century Earth. Terrans in the 30th century are enslaved by the dark moon clan. Can Mamoru unite the reborn Senshi & Shitennou and free Earth from Demando's dark grasp? More Inside!
1. A Brief Prologue

**From the Timeline of Dark Crystal Tokyo**

**PROLOGUE: (written by MercuryGuardian)**

_**From the Yahoo Group: halfbloodmoon

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**Those who would like to visit and/or join the group this originated from, started by MercuryGuardian, please visit my profile and follow the link posted there. Thanks a bunch. ****

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**Author's Notes: **The following is a copy of the plotline from a Sailor Moon role-playing group I am currently participating in. It was such a good idea, that I thought it would make an awesome fanfic! Pending receiving the group owner's permission, I am going to spin off from the ideas I got participating in the group and make a story of it. Does any one agree with me? If anyone would like to see this made into a fanfic, please leave a review and let me know. I already have the first couple of chapters laid out in my head. (winks)

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The timelines of different dimensions run closely together, each a little different then our own world, each holding a different tale of the same event. Here in one such dimension a different tale plays out from what most know. During this period, in which the Dark Moon clan traveled back in time, the original story that is known is that they lost, but not in this world. In this world, they won.

How it was Sailor Moon was killed, no one is really sure. All that is really known is that Emeraude had something to do with it, and so was executed by her love, Demando. While she might have loved him and her jealousy was likely something that aided in Sailor Moon's death, it was a one sided love. His obessesion had been only that of the now dead Sailor Moon.

Nevertheless, with Sailor Moon dead, the world fell to ruin. With their leader gone, their thoughts of hope strained. The Senshi died off one by one. Whether or not Tuxedo Kamen also died in battle is also unknown. Legend has it he died of a broken heart, but over time truth and fiction are often hard to keep apart.

In the thirtieth century Demando seized the Earth. He might have lost the four sisters, Rubeus, and Emeraude but the Dark Moon clan now ruled what they considered to be rightfully theirs. The people of Nemesis were transported onto Earth. Still angry at the planet that had banished them, the Dark Moon clan forced the Terrans into slavery. This was when the formation of Dark Crystal Tokyo occurred.

The Moon over time became a bright blood red. The reason for this has always remained unknown. Yet those who whisper the old tales of the Moon Kingdom and the age of the Silver Millennium say it is this way because no Lunarian from the royal bloodline remains.

During the time that the Terrans were being made into slaves, several Terrans went into hiding. A small rebellion started. Many died, many escaped. Near the outskirts of Dark Crystal Tokyo there is another city. A small city is being hidden a maze of caves keeping its location so. Underground, where these caves lead is Underground Tokyo.

Enough light comes through the Earthy ceiling allowing those to see, but the sun itself will never shine down on those there. Free here they might be but captives they are also.

This is where the rebellion guides those it helps escape. This is where the last hope holds. If this city falls, all hope will be forever lost.

The Wiseman still lingers somewhere. This had not gone according to his plan, for he had other plans indeed. What he is up to or waiting for... may never be known. Whatever it is he seems to have left those of the Dark Moon clan to their own devices.

The outer Senshi had awakened before the death of Sailor Moon... but where they have gone all this time also remains a mystery.

Recently it seems the Moon might not be as red as it used to be, though that could just be my imagination. Still I have held the henshin sticks of the four inner Senshi for quite some time and soon I will no longer have to. I can feel their souls throughout this time stream. They themselves likely remember not the battles they had faced... but they are here. There is only one reason they would rise again to protect their Princess, though the Silver Crystal has also been lost since the death of Sailor Moon. If it does not surface I fear these girls will not make it through this war either. However, as the keeper of time I will do what I can to find and help them.


	2. The Search for a True Master

**From the Timeline of Dark Crystal Tokyo**

**Chapter 1**

_**The Search for a True Master**_

**Author's Notes: **Thanks a bunch to those who reviewed! I really appreciate it, and I hope this story lives up to your expectations. The first chapter isn't quite as long as I had intended, but since I got it out in less than 48 hours, I think 5 pages is a fairly decent amount, don't you? I wouldn't be expecting the next chapter quite that fast (though if my ideas keep flowing like they are, it is a possibility), but I will try to update as quickly as ideas come to me. And of course, reviews give me my inspiration to write. (winks) So, as usual, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW!

The story begins in the early 30th century, around the year 3100. As much as I can, I am going to be following the manga-version of the series – especially where the Shitennou are concerned. That means that after the Dark Kingdom (Negaverse for the dubbers) was defeated, the spirits of Endymion's four Shitennou returned to him in the form of four stone to aid him whenever and however they were able. One by one, however, the stones disappeared at the beginning of the 30th century when their spirits were released to be reborn along with their Sailor Senshi counterparts. Hence where the story begins . . .

(Kanadai Ryu)

It was a rancidly hot summer afternoon in the year 3104. Short, messy, pale-blonde hair matted against the forehead of a well built fifteen year old as he was forced to continue his work at a rapid pace despite the increasing intensity of the noontime sun. Although his work in slavery caused him to be a bit on the thin side, the heavy workloads served him well in the areas of strength and endurance. The young man, born to a privately owned slave around the beginning of the thirtieth century, was named Kanadai Ryu, which means "Great Warrior Dragon."

Though he was one of the lucky few who remained with his parents long enough to retain a real last name and a few clear memories, by the age of eight he had been separated from both father and mother. Three years spent in a slave camp severely stifled Ryu's natural personality, causing him to become very quiet and withdrawn, though he still enjoyed a good joke now and then, and has a number of marks to prove it. He was 11 years old when hushed rumors of an underground city first offered him a spark of hope in his almost unbearably dreary world. He had tried to escape multiple times, but each time was caught and punished for it.

Hence why, for this reason, he had been labeled as a problem case and each new master was advised to keep him on a secure watch. So as he struggled with the weight of his tasks, the master – who was known as Hymann - stood beneath the shade of a nearby tree, a glass of cold ice-water in one hand and a sharp whip in the other, watching his every move. Pausing briefly to catch his breath, Ryu glanced over his shoulder to where the pitcher of water sat. 'This would be a lot easier if they realized humans require water as well.' He thought sarcastically, a mild frown playing across his face as he wiped the moisture from off his forehead.

"Get back to work, boy!" The sharp voice of the dark lord demanded intolerantly.

"If you aren't going to give me water to drink, can I at least remove my shirt? It is putrid out here, in case you haven't noticed." Ryu shot back, while still working on catching his breath. He hated it when they insisted on always referring to him as just 'boy.'

A scowl present on his face, the dark lord took another sip from his drink before setting it down and starting in Ryu's direction. He squeezed the whip tightly in his hand as he made his way out into the harsh sunlight, stopping a mere two feet from the young man. Licking his lips dryly, Ryu turned to face the man, piercing saffire blue eyes proudly meeting his gaze head on. "Take it off." The man demanded in a low and dangerous voice. Ryu's gaze shifted briefly to the whip in the man's hand. The mild sting coming from his back and shoulders, leftover from the previous nights "lesson," served as a painful reminder of what that thing was capable of. Nodding, he obediently reached down, pulling the top up over his head and handing it off to the man. "Now turn around and get back to work." He returned thickly.

"Hai, sir," Ryu answered neutrally, eyes averting downwards as he turned around bending over to regain his load. The young man really hadn't a mind to cause any more trouble than necessary today. He was still recovering from the night before, and besides - - - since his last escape attempt had landed him a (literally) torturous three-week prison sentence, the potential of returning there had served as ample threat to keep him from raising too far out of line. "Ahg..!" A painful sound escaped his lips as three unexpected blows were dealt to his exposed backside. He turned on the man, saffire-eyes burning along with the sting from the three new marks.

His saffire eyes were met with a dark smirk from the man who was considered lord over him. "It makes it all that much easier to dig into the flesh should you attempt to get out of line." Ryu scowled, opening his mouth as if to say something, but was interrupted before a single syllable could be uttered. "That is, unless you would rather return for another long stay in the prison ward. I am sure they wouldn't mind teaching an unruly slave a few lessons. . ." Ryu's mouth clamped shut on the word "prison," saffire eyes appearing a slight bit duller as he shifted his gaze humbly down towards the ground. The older man smirked at this. "That is what I thought." He cracked his whip loudly on the ground once just to see the young man flinched. His smirk deepened. "Get back to work."

"Hai"

"What was that?" The man questioned sharply.

"Hai, master," Ryu repeated dully, mouth still dryly in want of liquids as he returned to his work with a heavy sigh. The new whip marks on his back throbbed painfully as he handled a load equal to the previous ones, no leniency whatsoever offered for his new condition. Once the load had been moved to its new location and set to the master's standards, Ryu returned for yet another. As he stooped over again, his saffire eyes caught sight of a small Jadeite stone lying on the ground nearby and felt somehow drawn to it. He'd have picked it up for further study had his current master not been hovering nearby waiting and watching for the slightest excuse to deal out more punishment. Not willing to take the risk, he ignored the stone and returned to his work.

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Not over two hours later, with the task finally finished, Ryu found himself in the downtown area of Dark Crystal Tokyo. His saffire eyes remained mundanely downward as he followed the dark lord towards whatever their current destination might be. If he looked up, he could see Prince Demando's dark palace raised above the rest of the city. The closer he got to it, the more he despised it and the dark energy that radiated from it. It almost reminded him of . . . of what exactly? It reminded him of a similar energy, one that haunted his dreams in the dark hours of the night. He had been under the influence of that sort of power before, and it burned even as it took control of the very ideas and memories that passed through his mind. He couldn't truly say which it was, the false ideas or the painfully burning inside of him that drove him to do such horrible things – things he'd not even dream of doing in any normal state of mind.

Though his conscious mind may not have retained the memories, a part of him would always remember the feeling dark energy . . . the burning so deep inside . . . the look of betrayal flashing in those intense amber-eyes, right before the end. No, that wasn't a road he wished to travel down a second time. The closer they got to the dark crystal palace, the deeper the protective scowl set on the young man's face. He kept his gaze downwards to avoid even having to take a glimpse of the source of his harsh reality. Besides the obvious, he couldn't quite say why his dislike of such energy ran so deep, but he knew the further away he got from such darkness, the more settled he would begin to feel.

Stopping in front of a large department store, Hymann paused running his list once over in his mind before turning back to gaze upon the slave he had brought to carry his load. Ryu lifted his gaze briefly to meet the man's as he came to a halt a few steps behind. As a general rule slaves weren't allowed inside the stores, so places were provided to leave them out of doors. Without a word, Hymann hooked the man's ankles together and then to a stationary spot outside the store before heading inside the store to pick up what he needed.

Sighing lightly, Ryu crossed his arms over his chest shifting his gaze back down towards the ground. At least standing sedentary was a relief from the heavy work he had been doing. While he stood there waiting, something on the ground nearby once again caught his eyes' attention. It appeared to be the same Jadeite stone he had taken notice of in back at the Hymann's house. It couldn't really be the same one though, could it? Once again, he felt something drawing his interest to the stone. Curiosity getting the better of him, Ryu glanced back over his shoulder waiting for the austere man to disappear inside before quickly bending down and snatching the stone up into his hand.

Almost instantly, an image of a regal-looking man – unmistakably a prince – passed across his vision. He knew there were others standing with him, but paid them little mind as he continued to study the man with his eyes. Short raven-black fell slightly into clearly Terran facial features. He wore a navy-blue imperial outfit beneath finely custom-made armor and knee-high boots. A black cape was draped over a set of shoulder pads and pinned on with two gold buttons. Also, at his left side was sheathed a sword with a golden handle that had the symbol for earth engraved into it. Much like the Jadeite stone when he had first seen it, Ryu instantly felt drawn to the man, almost as though some kind of connection had existed between them.

The Terran Prince seemed at first unaware of the men who stood to the southeast side of him starring rather at a set of four gems, the Jadeite stone among them, hovering a few feet in front of him. When he reached his hand out, as if to take hold of the gems, they immediately distanced themselves floating over to where his four Shitennou stood, waiting for him. The eyes of the prince remained focused on the gems, following them as they moved to hover in front of Ryu and the others with him.

Ryu watched, intrigued, as the Jadeite stone came towards him, stopping a few feet in front of him at chest level. As he reached out to take the stone, his eyes momentarily met those of the prince. His hand instantly went to his side as he guiltily averted his eyes back down to the ground. Those gems clearly belonged to the prince; it was not his to take. Not only that, but a slave had no business meeting the direct gaze of a prince – not if he valued his life in any case. His upbringing had taught him that much. Ryu stood rigid as the prince approached, falling into a subtle kneel as he stopped in front of him.

Taking the Jadeite stone in his hand, the prince studied it for a moment and then continued forward. Kneeling down to same level as Ryu, he placed a hand on his shoulder and held out the stone in his open palm. "Take it." He instructed gently, but firmly. "It is your destiny." Ryu was quite understandably taken aback by the man's actions. He starred at the stone in the man's hand from a brief moment before reaching out and taking hold of it. The stone grew warm in his palm and a name pressed its way into the back of his mind. "Prince Endymion." He murmured distantly. Endymion smiled, pulling his friend back to his feet, as more images pushed their way into the back of Ryu's mind. A familiar voice, a voice from the past, echoed from the far reaches of his memory.

"...We were reincarnated to find our master, Prince Endymion." (Quote from Kunzite in the manga).

"Master?" Ryu questioned, lifting his gaze cautiously to meet that of the Terran prince. "Prince Endymion?" The young man was in for a shock. When the prince's azure eyes met with his saffire ones, Ryu noted his gaze, that it wasn't cold and hard or undermining like his current master, or that of Prince Demando, who was currently ruling the planet. He was surprised that the man looked at him like a friend, rather than just a servant or a slave. Ryu smiled gratefully.

There was a small smile on the prince's face as he nodded his affirment. "Jadeite . . ."

"Master?" Ryu murmured dazedly, just as the vision began to slip from his mind. His fist clinched tightly around the Jadeite stone in his hand as he fought to hold on to the vision but, unfortunately, found it to be a losing battle. Blinking rapidly a few times, Ryu found reality beginning to set back in . . . and his ''current'' master standing over him with his hands on his bare shoulders, shaking him roughly. "N-nani? What?" Ryu blinked again starring at the man for a moment with one of those blank 'what did I miss?' expressions on his face.

"Finally . . . he is coming around. Someone get me some water over here!" Hymann grumbled plastering an annoyed expression on his face as he looked the fifteen-year-old slave directly in the eyes. "This is a fine time to suffer from heat exhaustion. I have an investment to make out of you, you know." Hymann fumed as a young slave belonging to the store owner offered him a small pitcher of water. Snatching it from the boy, Hymann shoved the glass towards Ryu's hands.

Ryu just starred at the man in shock came he came back to reality. 'He thinks I'm suffering from heat exhaustion? Okay, let's go with that.' Apparently, fate decided to give him a break for once; but then, what was he to do with the Jadeite stone he had acquired? If the Hymann saw it, he would certainly have it taken away - - not to mention the punishment he would get for 'stealing' a precious gem. He squeezed his hand tighter around the stone, silently willing for it to just disappear . . . or something.

Unfortunately, Hymann noticed. "What do you have in your hand, boy?" Holding the pitcher back, he glared accusingly at the young man. "Show me your hand." He demanded. Ryu frowned, reluctantly opening his hand only to find it . . . empty? The young man starred down at his hand. But how . . . Ryu blinked, starring at as empty palm for a moment before returning his gaze to his owner.

Grumbling something under his breath about the young man's sanity, Hymann shoved the glass into Ryu's hands glaring coldly at him. "Alright, hurry up and drink it. There is more work to do at home." Although still trying to figure out what had happened to the stone, Ryu nodded his agreement and quickly drank down what he had been given. As soon as Ryu had finished and handed the pitcher back to the boy, Hymann released the chains from his ankles and they started back towards home.

Ryo sighed, a frown present on his face as he followed the man back towards the hell he was forced to call home. Had the stone really disappeared, or had it all just been the negative effect of heat exhaustion, like Hymann had said? Closing his fist, Ryu attempted to will the stone back, the same way he made it disappear. A moment later he felt something solid forming in his palm; he opened his fist and found . . . the Jadeite stone. Think along the lines of the sub-space pocket, or where the Senshi's henshin sticks go when they aren't using them. Ryu grinned as he willed the stone away again.

Apparently, fate really had decided to lighten up on him . . . for once. Or was it the work of his real master, Prince Endymion? 'My real master,' Ryu rolled this idea around in his head for a while before deciding that he liked the idea. Even from the short time he had seen him in his vision, Prince Endymion was clearly a better master than any of the others he had had, including his current one. Looking up at the Hymann's form a feet in front of him, Ryu's gaze narrowed in fresh determination. Some day, he would escape the prison they called Dark Crystal Tokyo. He would make his way to the underground city, and then . . . begin a search for his real master. . . .


	3. The Peaceful One

**From the Timeline of Dark Crystal Tokyo**

**Chapter 2**

_**The "Peaceful One"**_

**Author's Notes: **Okay, I hope you guys forgive me, but this one is going to be a little short. I tried to think of ways to expand it, but nothing I thought of really came out the way I wanted it to. I jumped ahead a few years in this chapter, and the story will henceforth continue in the year 3107. Jadeite/Ryu is 18 and his counterpart, Yasou is 17.

Good luck guessing which Shitennou Yasou is going to be. If you know the Shitennou at all, it shouldn't be all that difficult. The next chapter should be more interesting, because we get to see where Mamoru/Endymion has been all this time. I will introduce the Underground City, and I may even get as far as allowing Mamoru to meet up with some of his Shitennou.

Even though it's short, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And as usual, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE REVIEW! I would love you hear your opinions on Yasou's personality.

(Story begins here)

Three years had passed since Ryu first discovered the Jadeite stone and the powers it awakened inside of him. He was eighteen now and still serving the same cruel master he had been stuck with for the past five years, Hymann. Leaning back against the wall of the porch, Ryu sat and watched the early morning sunrise, enjoying some of the few peaceful moments of his day. Holding his hand out in front of him, he closed his hand into a fist and recalled the Jadeite stone from out of his subspace pocket. He focused his powers on the stone causing it to hover a couple of inches above his hand; Saffire eyes studied the stone lazily for a few long moments. He recalled his vision once again, the image of his prince playing through his mind. He could see the images as clearly as he could see the chains linked around his ankles. 'Just one more day,' He told himself with a sigh. 'Just one more day and I'm ditching this dump.'

Hearing sounds from inside, Ryu promptly dropped the stone back into his palm allowing it to disappear. The young man pulled himself to his feet just moments before the screen door opened. Stepping out onto the porch was a sixteen-year-old with flaming red hair and cool green eyes. He studied the Terran slave suspiciously for a moment. There was just something about him that was off - - different - - something he didn't trust. "What is it about you?" He questioned hardly. Ryu didn't say a word, but lifted his gaze narrowly to meet the young mans smiling curtly. "Whatever do you mean, young sir?" Ryu questioned back, with a hint of mockery in his voice. Scowling, the young man shoved a plate into Ryu's hands and turned back to enter the house. "I hope you get scourged." The young man remarked shortly, before re-entering the house and slamming the door behind him.

"Yeah, same to you," Ryu muttered once the door was shut. Sitting back down, he proceeded to take down breakfast quickly, knowing that the peaceful moments of the morning were almost over. . .

(Yasou)

The story continues on an early autumn morning in the year 3107, with a slightly feminine-featured seventeen-year-old male with abnormally long pale-blonde hair pulled back into a simple ponytail at the base of his neck. His emerald-colored eyes were bright with a well-hidden intelligence despite a life-time in the worst slave city on the entire earth. He stood on one side of the master's bed with his head focused downwards, thin arms rigid at his sides, as he waited patiently for the master to finish his morning routine and come to give his first orders of the day. The master's surname was Takeshi and he had bought this particular slave at the fresh age of nine from a child's slave camp.

The child was born solely for the purpose of replacing the current shortage of slaves, and was raised in the slave camp having no idea whom his mother or his father might have been. At a young age, Yasou caught on to the purpose of the slave camps; they wanted to break you . . . make you easy to handle so you could be sold. The more outgoing you were, the more life you had, the worse the punishments that would be dealt out. His stomach burned angrily as he watched one child after another get their spirits broken, but there was nothing he could do – not from here in any case. Wisely, he focused on appearing as timid and as yielding as possible.

It might not have been the proudest method, but it was probably the smartest. Though he hadn't any particular surname to call his own, the leaders of the camp gave him the name Yasou, which means "peaceful one." Having a reputation as one of the "easier to handle" slaves, he was quickly picked out by the upper class dark lord, Takeshi, and was released from the camp almost a year earlier than the usual age set for release. As he left the camp, Yasou was one of the very few to turn and look back. His emerald-eyes flashed as they narrowed with determination. He wouldn't be broken. Someday he would escape this prison for good, and then . . . someday again he would return . . . for the others. And when he returned the second time, he wouldn't come as the "peaceful one."

In the years that passed, Yasou's reputable personality served him well. He had worked his way up until Takeshi finally assigned him directly underneath himself. He primarily worked inside of doors doing minor labor and serving the master in any task that was given him. He slept in a small room, almost the size of a small walk-in closet actually, right off from the master's bedroom. He knew that he was one of the lucky ones, but that didn't change his thoughts about the dark moon and their methods; they would still pay for what they had done to the people of Earth. . .

The young man was pulled from his thoughts at the sound of the bathroom door opening. Although his gaze was focused humbly downwards, he stood in a straight and rigid, almost military-like fashion – one of the few traits that would give hint to the unbroken passion hidden beneath the submissive front he wore so well. Takeshi-san came out in his typical military garb, studying the slave coolly from the doorway. Yasou raised his head only partially, enough to note the man's actions but not enough to quite meet his eyes. When the man nodded, Yasou turned away heading to the closet to bring out the armor he wore atop his clothes and proceeded to silently help the man into it. "After breakfast, I am going to the marketplace to do some business. You make sure all the others have their morning chores finished before we leave, or its going to be your backside AND theirs."

"Hai, sir," Yasou studied each piece of armor as he applied it, recalling its functions as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the particular type his master chose to wear. This type had quite a few weaknesses, but it was mostly just for show . . . not meant for actual fighting. Each piece of knowledge he had collected over the years would come in handy when he was finally ready to make his escape. As he hadn't a book or journal to keep his information in (not that he would be dumb enough to write something the master might find anyways), he simply had to review it in his mind as much as possible. Once the task was finished, he stood back waiting as the man checked his work before turning to leave the room, Yasou following a few steps behind. . .


	4. A Narrow Escape

**From the Timeline of Dark Crystal Tokyo**

**Chapter 3**

_**A Narrow Escape**_

**Author's Notes: **Before I continue, I would like to say the relationship between Endymion and his Shitennou is one of my favorite non-romantic relationships in the Sailor Moon universe. Even despite what happened in the Silver Millennium, I believe that deep down they are as loyal to Endymion as the Senshi are to Serenity. I think that the very fact Mamoru forgave and even trusted the Shitennou so much after they were freed from Metallia's grasp shows a lot not only about Mamoru's character, but also about the strength of the relationship he must have had with his men.

The storyline will be speeding up soon, but character development and description is one of my favorite parts of writing, so I hope you'll bear with me while I try to "get into" the personalities of each of my characters. I didn't get quite as far as I wanted to this chapter, but it IS a good bit longer than the last one, so I hope you enjoy it anyways. Without further ado, I hope you enjoy the latest chapter and please, please, please READ AND REVIEW!

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For Yasou, the day thus far had gone off without any major confrontations. Morning chores had been completed with moments to spare. Only one tirelessly unruly kid known as Chiru had managed to get his tailend torn up prior to Yasou's leaving to the marketplace with the master. Then, the visit to market had left with Takeshi-san pulling off a few good deals and spending the next few hours prior to going on duty in an abnormally good mood. With Takeshi-san gone on duty, Yasou was left to keeping order among the rest of the slaves and serving the man's two sons, who more often than not just wanted to be left the hell alone. With no specific duties or master's to call his attention, Yasou was able to make his way into the main library where he most preferred to spend the few spare moments he could drag out of each day.

The library of the Takeshi household was a huge, twelve-foot high room stretched floor to ceiling with books of every nature, brand, and category. Two fireplaces on opposite sides of the room were surrounded by plush couches and antique chairs covered with thick blanket covers. The room had a warm feel to it as Yasou added logs to the second fireplace. Hearing footsteps coming down the hallway, he began to straighten up the room until Takeshi-san's twenty-two year old eldest child passed through the hallway. Yasou met the Takeshi heir's rigid gaze briefly, picking up a book left at the side table as the man continued towards the outside of the home. Heading towards the shelves, he placed the book on the history shelf while continuing towards the "military" section of the library.

A captain in the Dark Moon armed forces 5th regiment, Takeshi-san collected a wide variety of books centering on various styles of armor, battle tactics, history, troop organization, and other useful topics of interest. Selecting a volume on battle tactics, he fliped to the last page where he had left off. "Let's see - - strategies in forested areas." He managed to complete two full chapters, before the sound of light footsteps caused him to slam the book glancing up quickly. His emerald-eyes met with the young gaze of a ten-year-old, the youngest slave owned by the Takeshi family. "You know you aren't allowed in the house beyond the basement." Yasou commented mildly, sighing lightly with relief as he reopened the book finding the page he had last left off from. "Chiru-kun, you know if you get caught in here, we are both going to be in trouble."

"Hai . . ." Chiru answered back with an admonished frown, averting his gaze down to the floor before looking up a few moments later with curiosity in his eyes. "Yasou-sama, what are you doing?"

"Reading."

"Reading?" Yasou nodded shortly, flipping the page and continuing on to the end of the book. "About what," Chiru cocked his head to the side curiously when he didn't receive an answer to this, but didn't push the issue any further. Silence reigned for a few minutes before Yasou shut the book, and made his way towards the child. Placing his hands on either of the child's shoulders, he turned him around and began pushing him towards the doorway. "Er, Yasou-sama?"

"Hmm?" Yasou paused long enough to look down at the child, meeting his gaze.

"Ahm," The child hesitated, causing Yasou to raise an eyebrow curiously at the younger boy. Chiru blushed faintly before building up his courage and requested. "Could you teach me how to do that?"

Yasou blinked, slightly surprised by the request. "How to read?" Chiru nodded, a hopeful look filling his young eyes. Yasou shut his eyes, seeming to think this over for a few moments, while Chiru shifted anxiously on his feet awaiting an answer. Opening his eyes again, Yasou had a slight smile on his face as he looked down at the kid. "Hai, sure kid. I'll teach you every thing I know." Chiru's face lit up as Yasou put his hands back on his shoulders and continued directing him towards the door. As they neared the front of the library, Yasou noted that someone had shut the door. This wasn't all together unusual, but still . . . he knew Chiru wasn't the type to think up something as simple as remembering to shut the door. So, who else was in here? It wasn't until he heard sounds coming from a large couch centered in front of one of the fireplaces.

Apparently, Chiru also heard it. Before Yasou could stop him, Chiru had slipped up of his grasp and was making his way over to the couch to see what was going on. "Sugoi!" Chiru exclaimed as he leaned over to couch to find two people making out, and quite in the process of getting ready to go even further. Yasou stood back, a mild frown on his face as he debated weather or not he really wanted to know who Chiru had found on the other side of that couch.

It wasn't long before he would know, however, for Chiru's excited exclamation was followed by a pair of surprised gasps from both male and female voices. A moment later, Takeshi-san's second son, Kioshi, sat up with a mixture of fear and anger playing across his face. Chiru frowned beginning to back away when the sixteen-year-old turned a furious gaze in his direction. "Not as amazing as your backside is going to look when I get through with you!" Before Chiru could put two feet between them, the elder boy had jumped over the back of the couch and taken a firm hold of both his wrists, jerking the young man in his direction. Chiru whimpered, wearing a deer in headlights look on his face as he tried his best to pull away from the older boy.

Yasou continued to stand back, remaining unnoticed as he watched the scene unfold. It wasn't until he purposefully cleared his throat that anyone took heed of him. Chiru looked over his shoulder wide-eyes pleading desperately for Yasou to help him out of the mess he had somehow gotten himself into - - again. The sixteen-year-old paled as he saw his father's personal slave standing there watching him. He met Yasou's gaze for only a moment before following it back over his shoulder. There, on the other side of the couch stood a fifteen-year-old terran slave, one of the house-workers, looking back at him with eyes full of fear. If Takeshi-sama found out about this, there was no telling what he might have done to them - - or in particular, to her. 'Okay – Okay – Yasou isn't that bright. I can handle this. . .'

Taking in a deep breath, Kioshi tried to regain control of the situation by turning a firm gaze on the head slave and trying to sound fierce like his elder brother. "This is a library. It isn't a place for terran slaves to be hanging out. What do you think you are doing in here?" Yasou didn't say a word, but held up the book he had previously been looking at. Takeshi's younger son frowned, "What are you doing with that?" He challenged. Yasou had always been the quiet one, the most submissive one of the slaves; he would back down easily and then he would make sure the man never said a word about this – to his father, or to anyone else. He looked up at Yasou expectantly, expecting him to back down and avert his eyes to the ground, the same as he always had.

Yasou raised an eyebrow, seeming a touch amused by this question. "I was looking at the pretty pictures." Yasou answered with mixture of amusement and sarcasm.

"You really think Father is going to buy that story?"

"Of course – he thinks I'm stupid anyways." At this point, Yasou smiled knowing he had obtained the upper hand.

Without another word, Yasou made his way in the direction of the couch, stopping only about three feet in front of the younger Takeshi. The young man swallowed hard. Pointedly, he took hold of Chiru by the shoulders pulling him forcefully out of Kioshi's grasp. Leading the boy over to the door, Yasou turned him around briefly looking him directly in the eyes. "You came in here to find me, because you didn't know what you were supposed to be doing. I told you to go to the basement and clean up the sleeping areas. If you finish that, go to the yard and make sure there aren't any sticks and pinecones for people to step on. You didn't see anything in here, understand?"

"H-hai." Chiru stammered, still starring at Yasou through those wide-eyes of his.

"Stay busy, and don't come back in the house." Yasou instructed as he opened the library door, shoved the child out into the hall, and shut it once again. This done, Yasou turned around refocusing his gaze intently back upon Takeshi Kioshi. After a few moments of silence, Yasou cleared his throat once again before speaking. "I believe your fly is open, young sir." Yasou replied lightly.

Kioshi blushed deeply reaching down to zip up his pants before looking back up at Yasou through narrowed eyes. This wasn't going the way he had hoped. First of all, he hadn't intended to get caught in the first place. Secondly, Yasou wasn't supposed to have the upper hand. "D-do you know how much trouble you are going to get into, if Father finds out you were in here relaxing without permission?"

"Not nearly as much trouble as you are going to get into, if your Father finds out you were sleeping with a terran slave." Yasou pointed out calmly.

The color drained from both Kioshi and his girlfriend's faces. "You – you can't tell him, Yasou." Kioshi pleaded, knowing he could potentially be facing serious consequences. "Please, he'll . . . she'll be killed."

Yasou blinked, starring at the young man with a mildly shocked expression on his face. He had expected the young man to plead for his own sake, but not for the girl's. A moment of silence passed as Yasou studied the honest fear shaking in the young man's gaze. "You really care about her?" He queried watching as the girl made her way around the couch and halfway between where the two men stood. Turning back, she looked at Kioshi hopefully, awaiting his answer.

After a moment of silence, Kioshi smiled embarrassedly before answering quietly. "Hai, I do." Moments later, he found himself looking helplessly up at the man who was supposed to be one of their slaves. "Are you going to tell him?"

Yasou paused, thinking this over for a moment before answering back. "I will make a deal with you. You keep your mouth shut about what I do with my spare time, and I will keep my about 'who' you do with yours." This comment, of course, brought embarrassed looks to both the youngsters' faces, but in the end Kioshi nodded his agreement to the deal.

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD

'Just one more day,' He had been telling himself that all day, but the seconds just continued to creep ever so slowly by. As he made his way around the side of the house, Ryu stole a quick glance up at the stunning hues of blue, green, orange, and pink mixing together as they stretched across the evening sky. He smiled appreciatively, even as he was rolling his shirt up around his shoulders. Crossing his arms in front of him, he pressed them up against the side of the house and rested his head atop of them. Ryu was waiting for the Hymann to come and deal out punishment for the days numerous misgivings. Knowing that he was getting ready to ditch this place and annoyed with the day itself for stretching on for so very long, he just couldn't seem to keep his big mouth in check. Tonight's "lesson" would be severe.

'Just a few more hours,' He told himself once again as the sound of leaves crunching beneath heavy steps alerted him to the Hymann's steps. His muscles tensed involuntarily. With his all-to-familiar whip in hand, Hymann stopped just a few steps behind the now eighteen-year-old Ryu and smirked lightly. "You just can't stay out of trouble, can you?" Ryu scowled but stubbornly pursed his lips refusing to comment. "You need to learn your place, boy." Hymann told him, as he dealt the first blow to the young man's backside. Ryu gritted his teeth, refusing to cry out; he wouldn't give the austere man the satisfaction of hearing him in pain. Tuning out both the Hymann and his punishment, Ryu focused his mind on the vision that had helped him to hold out all this time. It gave him hope even on the dreariest of days, and kept his spirit from being broken by the hardships of daily life.

Shutting his eyes, he saw the familiar prince reaching out and pulling him to his feet. He saw prince looking at him through those midnight-blue eyes of his. Prince Endymion - - he was the first person in this lifetime Ryu could remember who actually looked him as though he was worth something. Other than that, he didn't really know why exactly he felt such a strong connection to the man. But he knew he would do just about anything necessary, if only to have the prince look at him with the same level of friendship and trust he had seen in his brief vision. "Ahg," Ryu couldn't help releasing a single cry as the last blow was dealt. Pursing his lips together tightly, he rolled his shirt back down, turning to face the older man with an empty gaze.

"You'll remember that lesson tomorrow and keep your place."

"Hai," Ryu answered neutrally. 'I won't be here tomorrow.'

"Come on then."

"Hai," Following the older man up to the porch, Ryu stood with his back against the wall tuning out the familiar stinging sensation & throbbing from his back and shoulders. Once the Hymann had linked his ankles together to the usual spot, he hung the keys at the far end of the porch and turned to enter the house. Ryu watched through apparently uninterested saffire-colored eyes. He swore the man only hung those keys there to taunt him, but in the end the act would serve in his own favor. He remained standing until the Hymann went inside for the night and shut the door behind him. Ryu rubbed his shoulders sorely as he sat down, waiting silently until the door opened once more.

Ryu looked up to meet the gaze of the youngest member of the Hymann family, an eight-year-old girl with russet-brown hair pulled into pigtails on either side of her head, fair skin, and deep chocolate brown eyes. She would be a knock-out by the time she hit sixteen; he was sure of it. Ryu smiled lightly as the child handed him what was supposed to serve as an evening meal. Looking down at what appeared to be a bowl of mush, Ryu's eyebrows furrowed and he looked at the child through an inquisitive gaze. The child blushed deeply looking down at the ground. "I – I made dinner tonight . . . for Mama's birthday." She explained embarrassedly. "It tastes better than it looks, really."

Chuckling lightly, Ryu obliged the child by taking a large bite of the odd-looking concoction and swallowing while managing to keep a straight face. He had luckily learned to do so in dealing with the Hymann and his "lessons" day in and day out. . . It tasted like she had accidentally dropped some sawdust in the mixture. "You did a good job, Kimira." Ryu lied through his teeth as he finished off the mixture and handed the plate back to the child. Grinning brightly, Kimira giggled happily before rushing back into the house, slamming the door behind her. Shaking his head, Ryu turned his attention to the early evening sky and the first hints of stars beginning to appear overhead. There was just something about the stars; they reminded him of . . . someone, but he couldn't quite say whom.

As he waited silently, Ryu listened to the sounds of movement inside the house. 'Soon, very soon,' He listened to the family completing their dinner and evening routines. He knew when the youngest of the kids went to bed, the teenage boy he'd had so much trouble with, and finally - - a couple of hours later – the Hymann himself. Just to be on the safe side, Ryu decided to wait an extra hour or so to make sure the family was in a deep sleep before attempting his big escape. Focusing for a brief moment, he brought the Jadeite stone out of his sub-space pocket hovering it an inch above his hand and studying it as he did most nights, after the family had long since gone to bed.

The minutes ticked by like hours as Ryu listened for any sign of movement. The sound of crickets chirping in the night was the only sound of life in the cool autumn nighttime. Finally, allowing the stone to drop into his palm and fade back into his sub-space pocket, Ryu focused his emerald gaze intently on the ring of keys hanging at the other end of the porch. He extended his hand in the direction of the key ring, palm up as though waiting for them to come to him voluntarily. Ryu listened once more for any possible movement inside before focusing his telekinetic powers on lifting the keys with his mind, bringing them silently over to his waiting palm. Selecting the proper key, he bent over, released himself from the anklets, locked them again, and returned the keys back to their original spot. 'Let them try and figure that one out . . .' Smirking amusedly at this thought, Ryu shook his head and made his way out into the night. . . .

Author's Notes: Didn't get quite as far as I had intended with this chapter, but I just can't resist a good cliff hanger. The next chapter should be fun to write, with the Shitennou beginning to make their escapes. I can guarantee you will get to meet at least one more Shitennou next chapter, and they may even begin to meet each other. I won't tell when I plan on introducing Mamoru back into the story, but it won't be long now. (winks)


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